(Newser)
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Massachusetts Democrats are over the moon about Elizabeth Warren, sure she'll beat Scott Brown and win back Ted Kennedy's old Senate seat—or at least, they were. Now a new string of polls has them sweating, the Boston Globe reports. A new survey from Western New England University Polling and the Springfield Republican has Brown ahead 49% to 41%, and several other recent polls have had similar results. "The burst of good feeling that greeted her candidacy has worn off," says one Democratic analyst.
Much of the shift may have to do with Brown himself; the former Tea Party darling has successfully positioned himself as a moderate independent, and he's raised $13 million for his trouble, compared to Warren's $6 million. Still, one UMass Boston political scientist says Democrats "need to come off the ledge and put the sharp instruments away. A year ago they couldn't conceive of beating Scott Brown, but now they are despondent because she is four to nine points behind him. That makes no sense."
